www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10334...correct-monster.html

about time

Well, well!

That horrible woman built her own monster and it now snaps at her to remind her. I have no sympathy. I blame her for most of the senseless over protection. I saw this coming when I watched the TV special which launched Childline. I gasped with disbelief when she claimed that no child ever lies about sexual abuse, having known one of my childhood friends do exactly that.

If she is learning some lessons, then that is a good thing, but I don't see her ever coming round to the full reality of the world she has helped to create. She has done more than anyone to break down trust and create an atmosphere of paranoid suspicion where all are guilty until proven otherwise. Her own experiences only touch the outer limits. I doubt she'll ever unbderstand the damage she has done.

Well said Denise.

Officer to 12 year old girl "Did you stab this man to death?".

Child "No officer and a child can never lie".

Policeman "Oh OK then".

That's the Rantzen legacy.

Bit of an overeaction? Childline was put in place for a very good reason. To protect children. There has been a negative aspect that Ms Rantzen has acknowledged. On the whole it was created for a safer environment for children. This is generally the case. Surely?

Very harsh words.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions Angel.

History is full of awful policies and regimes which began with good intentions. While there is child abuse and a need to combat it, childline has provided a weapon for some children to use against adults, e.g. "If you don't do what I want I'll call childline." Yes that has happened in some cases. It's naive basis is that children never lie about abuse, but it has gone much further. Where previously all allegations were thoroughly investigated with objectivity, now they are believed without question and the accused must prove innocence which, in many cases, is impossible. The fear the campaigns have spread among some parents has been quite damaging to their children. Children need to interact with others in order to properly learn social skills. They also need to learn about dangers so that they can understand the consequences. Many children are now denied the freedom to play out or interact with others in the way they need to. They grow up fearful and lacking the confidence or ability to communicate with the wider population. It goes further in that society has lost trust, and without that trust society will eventually crumble. Neighbours suspect neighbours. Parents suspect teachers. Children suspect everyone over thirty. the police just suspect everyone.

Recently a teacher made an official complaint of sexual assault against a young child who gave her a hug in class. A vicar was scandalised because he gave a child a congratulatory kiss at a prize giving. A three year old child was expelled from a play group for sexually molesting the other children.

Childline has pushed the abuse issue to beyond any reasonable limits until it has panicked society to near destruction.

Children were already protected before childline. Generations grew up happily and lived fullfilled lives. They didn't spend their childhood worrying about the being stalked or dragged into bushes. Ranson says that the intention was to highlight that most abuse takes place in the home. It's true that over 90% does take place within the family, and less than 5% is at the hands of strangers, but the consequence of the childline campaigns is that children are now kept at home much more and have far less interaction with new people (strangers). Okay, this was not Ranson's intention, but a little foresight and a more balanced approach could have prevented it. Children are protected by the network of people around them, which includes family friends teachers, neighbours and passers-by. Most people are safe and trustworthy. The trimming of this network of people has decreased the chances of abuse being detected and stopped. A phone number is no substitute.

An interestin point. May i ask if you have kids?

Yes I do.